Oct. 20, 2010

Westside: Global Implications for Natural Gas Markets

Description

Global Implications for Natural Gas Markets of the Emergence of Shale Plays

The rapid growth in shale gas production in North America has had dramatic effects on the natural gas market. The supply picture in North America has changed substantially, and altered expectations regarding future prices, the development of frontier resources in Alaska and Northern Canada, and LNG import requirements. This presentation will demonstrate how the latter prospect in particular has had a ripple effect on international LNG markets. It will also discuss how developments in North America have sparked interest in shale gas resource potential in other parts of the world, and how the experience gained producing shale gas in North America will likely soon translate to those other regions.

The global implication is that the timing of LNG projects and the interest in expanding LNG infrastructure is running headlong into concerns about market availability. This presentation will also demonstrate how environmental concerns regarding the use and potential contamination of water resources are fast becoming major issues that will need to be fully addressed before governments will allow the total realization of the growth potential from this resource. It will touch on the fact that any policies that reduce demand for natural gas, including certain renewable portfolio standards or CO2 cap-and-trade programs that grandfather coal resources - will likely result in lower prices, which will hamper investment in shale gas resources. It will finally serve to remind us that the state of knowledge regarding technical recoverability of the shale gas resource is still evolving, and thus, the ultimate technically recoverable resource could be substantially larger than now assessed.

Please print and bring credit card receipt if you registered and paid on-line.

Please register before the deadline at noon on Monday, October 18th if you plan to attend. Walk-in registrations on the day of the meeting will be accepted for a limited number of seats based on the number of registered attendees or the maximum capacity of the Carriage Room. Thank you

Featured Speakers

Speaker Dr. Kenneth Medlock

Fellow in Energy Studies James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy Dr. Medlock is currently a Fellow in Energy Studies at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. He is the leader of the Energy Forum's natural gas program, and a principal in the development of the …

Dr. Medlock is currently a Fellow in Energy Studies at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. He is the leader of the Energy Forum's natural gas program, and a principal in the development of the Rice University World Natural Gas Trade Model, which is aimed at assessing the future of LNG trade. He won the International Association of Energy Economics Award for Best Paper of the Year in the Energy Journal in 2001. Medlock has spoken at multiple academic and professional conferences on energy issues. For Rice University’s Department of Economics, Medlock teaches courses in Macroeconomic Theory and Energy Economics. He received a PhD in economics from Rice in May 2000. His areas of specialization are in the fields of energy economics and policy, with interests in environmental economics, applied econometrics and applied microeconomics. Before returning to Rice, he held the position of Corporate Consultant at El Paso Energy Corporation, where he was responsible for fundamental analysis of North American natural gas, petroleum, and power markets.